If Earth shrinks to half its radius keeping mass constant, the new escape velocity becomes:
A√2 times original
BHalf
CTwice
DSame as before
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. √2 times original
v_esc = √(2GM/R). If R becomes R/2 with M constant: v'_esc = √(2GM/(R/2)) = √2 × √(2GM/R) = √2 × v_esc. So escape velocity increases by factor √2.
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